Test Design and
Test Framework
Field 299: Marriage and Family Therapy
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The test design below describes general test information. The framework that follows is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this test measures.
Test Design
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 80 multiple-choice questions |
| Time* | 3 hours |
| Passing Score | 240 |
*Does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial
Test Framework
Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.
| test subarea | number of test objectives | number of scorable items | number of nonscorable items | subarea weight as percent of total test score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| subarea 1—Human Development, Learning and Diversity | 2 | 18 | 4 | 29 percent |
| subarea 2—Assessment Services and Interventions | 3 | 27 | 7 | 42 percent |
| subarea 3—The Professional Environment | 2 | 19 | 5 | 29 percent |
| totals | 7 | 64 | 16 | 100 percent |
Subarea 1—Human Development, Learning, and Diversity
Objective 0001—Understand theories and processes of human growth, development, and learning.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of theories of personality development, attachment, child and adolescent development (e.g., physical, social, emotional, cognitive, ethical, moral), and the range of individual variation.
- Demonstrate knowledge of theories of individual and family development, transitions, and biopsychosocial health across the life span.
- Apply knowledge of learning theories; how students construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop habits of mind; how students' development in the various domains affects learning; and how differences in approaches to learning and performance interact with development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and effects of the cultural and environmental milieu of the student and the student's family, including cultural and linguistic diversity and socioeconomic level.
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics and effects of trauma, including abuse, neglect, and substance abuse, on the student and the student's family.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of disabilities and the effects disabilities may have on individuals and learning, including characteristics of normal, delayed, and disordered patterns of communication and interaction in peer, family, and school settings.
- Apply knowledge of human behavior, including developmental crises, disability, addictive behavior and psychopathology, and situational and environmental factors as they affect children and adolescents in the peer, family, and school settings.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the effects that medication can have on the educational, cognitive, physical, social, and emotional behaviors of individuals.
- Apply knowledge of how to analyze individual and group performance in order to plan and implement interventions that meet students' current needs in the cognitive, social, emotional, ethical and moral, and physical domains at the appropriate grade level.
- Apply knowledge of how to plan and implement developmentally appropriate activities, experiences, and interventions that are responsive to students' individual, group, family, and school needs.
Objective 0002—Understand diversity, cultural differences, and multiculturally informed approaches.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the implication of the school marriage and family therapist's social and cultural background and experiences and how they influence the school marriage and family therapist's attitudes, values, and biases about psychological processes.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the ways in which diverse characteristics (e.g., race, culture, ethnicity, gender identity, physical and mental characteristics) affect personality formation, vocational choice, and manifestation of strengths and difficulties in academic, career, and personal/social development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of learning about diverse groups in the school community as well as understanding and acknowledging students' diversity and special needs in order to incorporate an approach to social and cultural diversity that is equitable for all students.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the effects of students' learning abilities, styles, and capabilities on academic, career, and personal/social development as well as knowledge of the specialized needs and resources available for students with disabilities, students who are gifted, students who are at risk, and students who have dropped out of school.
- Apply knowledge of how to develop programs for students that acknowledge their diverse needs; adopt intervention skills appropriate to the needs of the student; and promote a gender-equitable and culturally sensitive approach in working with students, families, staff, and the community.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for teaching how oppression, racism, discrimination, intolerance, homophobia, heterosexism, and stereotyping may affect students both personally and in their work and methods for intervening when students use inappropriate language or behaviors relating to issues of social and cultural diversity.
Subarea 2—Assessment, Services, and Interventions
Objective 0003—Understand assessment principles, practices, and tools used within academic settings.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the purposes and meaning of assessment historically, sociologically, and educationally and the basic concepts of standardized and nonstandardized assessments and other techniques in the assessment of behavior in individuals, families, and other dyadic interactions.
- Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate tests, methods, and materials for gathering information and/or performing assessments.
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic statistical concepts, including reliability, various types of validity, and the relationship between reliability and validity.
- Apply knowledge of appropriate assessment strategies, including observational methods that can be used to evaluate students' development and performance, and how to use assessment information to identify students' strengths and needs.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the implications of various factors (e.g., age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, disability, culture, spirituality) for assessment and evaluation and how to analyze and interpret assessment information accurately, with appropriate consideration to diversity, and at the level that clients and families can understand the assessment outcomes.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the appropriate use of technology in the assessment process.
Objective 0004—Understand school-based systems theory and practices for working with families and others to provide comprehensive services for students and families.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of diverse family systems (e.g., single parent/guardian, foster parents, biracial parents/guardians, sexual orientation of parents/guardians, blended) and how family systems influence students' development, learning, and behavior.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of family involvement in education and methods for promoting collaboration and partnerships between families and educators to improve student outcomes.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the implications of cultural diversity on family, home, school, and community collaborations.
- Apply knowledge of the school-based systems theory model, evidence-based practice and the biopsychosocial perspective in school marriage and family therapy, and systemic methods for involving families in education and service delivery.
- Apply knowledge of how to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate programs that promote school-family-community partnerships and enhance academic and behavioral outcomes for students.
- Demonstrate knowledge of school and community resources and agencies available to students and families and how to facilitate communication between schools, families, and community agencies.
Objective 0005—Understand interventions in schools and crisis intervention in school and family environments.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the theory, process, and techniques of individual, group, and family crisis intervention and counseling.
- Apply knowledge of methods for providing individual, group, and family counseling; crisis intervention therapy; and other services to the school community to enhance relational functioning while increasing success in the educational process.
- Demonstrate knowledge of skills in advocacy, case management, community organization, consultation, and in-service training.
- Apply knowledge of how to apply systemic concepts, theories, and techniques to identify and develop broad-based prevention and interventions as well as how to develop and implement prevention and intervention plans that enable students to benefit from their educational, emotional, and relational experiences.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the interdisciplinary approach to collaborative service delivery within the educational environment; strategies for providing consultation to teachers, administrators, families, and community organizations and agencies; and methods for developing and providing training and educational programs in the school and community.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to provide information about and linkages to community agencies, maintain follow-up services on behalf of identified students, and mobilize resources of the school and community to meet the needs of students and families.
- Apply knowledge of the role of mandated reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect, the function of the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), and steps for initiating and assisting others with the appropriate reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect.
Subarea 3—The Professional Environment
Objective 0006—Understand consultative and collaborative relationships and how these relationships support students' development, learning, and well-being.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of principles, practices, and processes of individual, family, and organizational consultation and how to initiate, develop, and implement consultative relationships.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the school's role within the context of the larger community.
- Apply knowledge of the collaborative process as well as strategies for collaborating with families, school personnel, community personnel, and community-based organizations and agencies about students' needs and to enhance students' educational functioning.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for encouraging relationships between colleagues and participating in collaborative decision making and problem solving to promote students' success.
- Demonstrate knowledge of language development, communication techniques, and the role of communication in learning.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for modeling and promoting effective communication among group members or between groups, the importance of audience and purpose when selecting communication methods, and how to use a variety of communication modes with diverse groups.
- Demonstrate knowledge of variations in beliefs, traditions, and values across cultures and their effects on interactions among group members and between groups.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for modeling and promoting ethical practices for confidential communication.
Objective 0007—Understand legal, ethical, and social responsibility issues and professional guidelines for school marriage and family therapists.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of legal standards that apply to the therapy and educational process and the school marriage and family therapist's responsibility to know and comply with federal, state, and local legislation, regulations, and policies.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the Illinois School Code, the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, the Illinois School Student Records Act, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (F E R P A).
- Apply knowledge of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (A A M F T) professional standards and Code of Ethics for Marriage and Family Therapists, including how to use the standards and code of ethics as a guide for ethical decision making and resolution of conflict among competing expectations.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for exhibiting commitment to the values and ethics of the school marriage and family therapist profession.
- Demonstrate knowledge of techniques for maintaining adequate safeguards for the privacy and confidentiality of information.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies and procedures for informing students of their ethical rights as well as the limitations and confidentiality of the counseling relationship.